UK Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Extension Newsletter Fall 2019

FALL 2019

ISSUE 8

Photo courtesy of Matt Barton, UK College of Agriculture.

DEPARTMENT OF BIOSYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Why Do I Need a Hay Barn for Round Bales?

By Morgan Hayes, Ph.D., PE Assistant Extension Professor Livestock Systems It seems that 2019 may be another year where finding hay could be challenging.

With limited supplies, prices for hay will likely remain high. While square bales of hay are traditionally stored inside, many round bales are stored outside because they have traditionally been stored that way or because the bales can be more conveniently located near winter feeding areas.

I would contend that hay barns for round bale storage are cost effective regardless of the price of hay, but multiple years with high hay prices make hay barns considerably easier to justify. Two features of hay storage need to be evaluated when determining how cost effective a barn will be.

WHY DO I NEED A HAY BARN FOR ROUND BALES? HARVEST SAFETY TIPS FOR ADJUSTING YOUR COMBINE WEIGHING YOUR OPTIONS: CATTLE SCALES DRY CONDITIONS IN KENTUCKY HOW MUCH GRAIN DO YOU HAVE STORED? DRYING CORN IN THE FIELD OR WITH HEATED AIR – WHAT ARE THE TRADE-OFFS?

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Hay Loss When Hay is Stored Outside One concern that is often ignored or underappreciated is the amount of hay in the outside two to eight inches of a round bale of hay. The percent of hay in the outside two to eight inches varies greatly based on the diameter of the bale.

Table 1 shows the percent of the bale lost if the various outside inches were deteriorated (weathered) during outside hay storage. This table assumes hay is stacked face to face and that there are minimal losses from the faces (the circular sides of the bale). For example, a 4 ft (width) x 4 ft (diameter) bale would include 44% of the total volume of the bale in the outside six inches of the diameter without any losses in the end faces of the bale.

Studies regularly report outdoor hay storage losses at or above 35%. The table shows how easily this kind of loss could be achieved depending on the dimensions of the bale, how tightly the hay is baled, the type of forage in the bale, type of wrap used on the bales, and where the hay is stored.

Barn Capacity One consideration rarely mentioned when evaluating the cost effectiveness of a hay barn is if the barn the appropriate size for the hay you plan to store. For instance, if you expect to need to store 250 4’ x 5’ bales to feed

cattle in the winter, a 32’ x 72’ hoop barn is designed to handle 266 rolls of hay. Filling this barn on a yearly basis would be very efficient, with 96% of the capacity utilized.

However, if you need to store 300 bales of hay and you could only purchase hoop barns at 72 and 96 feet long, you would need to make a decision. A 32’ x 96’ barn would provide storage for 360 bales. If you only placed 300 bales in the barn, approximately 17% of the barn would not be utilized for hay storage. In a 72-foot barn, 100% of capacity would be utilized, but 34+ bales (you would need a few extra bales to make up for the loss due to weathering) would still be left outside for some length of time.

Final Thoughts Hay barns can make a major difference in hay losses due to weathering. While larger diameter bales and net-wrapped hay bales do handle outdoor storage more effectively, indoor storage is consistently reported as the winter storage method for the least hay losses.

When considering the cost effectiveness of a hay barn, the dimensions and respective hay storage capacity of the barn are critical for evaluating the cost effectiveness of the structure.

Morgan Hayes, Ph.D., PE, is an Assistant Extension Professor in Livestock Systems.

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Harvest Safety

By Mark Purschwitz, Ph.D. Extension Professor Agricultural Safety and Health Fall harvest is a stressful time for any farmer, physically as well as financially. Many hazards can take away life and limb in an instant, and the hurried pace of harvest makes it more likely that someone will fall victim.

Here are a few hazards and precautions to keep in mind; be aware that every farm is different and may have additional hazards.

• Always start tractors or other machines from the operator’s platform. Never bypass-start a tractor (never use a tool to short across the starter terminals, bypassing all safety switches.)

• If a machine is stuck, bring in equipment large enough to safely pull it out. Only use equipment and components designed for the forces involved. For example, a stretched nylon rope can break a clevis and cause it to fly back at fatal speeds.

Transport Hazards • Always use a locking hitch pin, large enough for the load being pulled.

• Check tires for proper inflation and replace them if they will not hold up to road use. You will be liable if a tire fails and someone else gets hurt.

• Be sure brakes can stop the load being pulled.

• Lock tractor brake pedals together for roadway travel.

• Have a bright, clean, SMV emblem and other markings on any equipment taken on the road.

• Make sure headlights and flashing lights work, and use them on the road even in daylight.

Machinery Hazards • Make sure all shields and other safety devices are in place and properly secured.

• Review equipment manuals before heading to the field.

• Properly train everyone operating or working around a machine.

• The safest place for the operator is in the seat. Avoid field problems by keeping equipment properly adjusted and repairing or replacing worn parts.

• Be mindful of the speed of machine components. For example, in a single second, a standard 540 RPM PTO shaft will make nine revolutions and can pull seven feet of entangled clothing.

• Always shut off the engine or lock out electrical power before unplugging equipment.

• When other people are around, such as when hooking up or unloading, be extra cautious before backing up or driving away.

Make sure you know where everyone is.

• Use escort vehicles for over-width equipment.

• Pull over when safe, to allow traffic to pass.

Fire Hazards • Keep harvesting equipment free from trash buildup, especially around the engine or exhaust where it can catch on fire. Inspect

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for fuel or oil leaks that can result in fire.

• Have fire extinguishers available in the field on harvesting equipment and around the farmstead.

such as decreased balance, decreased strength, and slower reactions.

Crop Storage Hazards

• Get plenty of sleep; don’t rely on stimulants.

• No alcohol or drugs; be aware of any adverse effects from medications, such as drowsiness.

• Take periodic breaks; if eating in the field, still allow time to relax for 15-20 minutes.

• Dress for comfort but also for safety.

• Only assign age-appropriate tasks.

• Do not allow extra riders on machinery unless a second seat is provided.

• Wear hearing protection around loud equipment, both field and farmstead.

• Do a complete assessment of the hazards involved in entering crop storage facilities such as grain bins and silos; always use proper entrance procedures.

• Always turn off, de-energize, and lock out electrical power before entering grain storage facilities or working on related equipment.

• Use fall protection as appropriate; have lifelines, harnesses, and other equipment available as needed.

• Keep personal protective equipment on hand, such as respiratory, hearing, eye protection, etc.

• Stay out of upright silos (silage) for three weeks, to avoid toxic silo gas, and blow it out before entering the first time.

• Be aware of runover hazards from trucks and machinery around storage facilities, and modify traffic patterns as needed.

Falls • Keep operator’s platform free of tools or other objects.

• Clean ladders, steps, etc., from mud and other slippery materials • Wear work shoes with non-slip soles.

• Always keep three points of contact when mounting or dismounting – two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.

• Only use stable ladders or platforms for maintenance and repairs.

• Be aware of the effects of aging,

Human Factors

Emergency Preparedness • Check in periodically with people who are working alone.

• Have a well-stocked first aid kit.

• Have fire extinguishers and make sure people know how to use them.

• Think about how to give directions to fields; first responders may only know the location of your home or farmstead.

• Be prepared to help first responders get through mud.

No List of Hazards Can Be Complete Remember, this is not intended to be a complete, comprehensive list of hazards.

Every farm is different, and owners/ managers must inspect for hazards, remove or mitigate those hazards, and train workers (including family members) accordingly.

Special acknowledgements to Iowa State University’s fact sheet, “Harvest Safety Yields Big Dividends,” by Mark Hanna, Charles V. Schwab, and Laura Miller. *This article first appeared in the fall 2018 BAE Extension Newsletter.

Mark Purschwitz, Ph.D., is an Extension Professor in Agricultural Safety and Health.

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Tips for Adjusting Your Combine

By Tim Stombaugh, Ph.D., PE Extension Professor Machine Systems Engineering Getting the best performance from your combine means dollars in the bank. Here are a few quick tips to help you adjust your combine so you put more grain in the tank.

When setting up the combine, start with the manufacturer’s recommendations for your machine and crop. Your manufacturer wants that combine to work as well as you want it to work. They want happy customers so they will sell more combines.

Start From the Front When it comes to fine-tuning the combine, always start from the front of the combine. For instance, if you notice a lot of trash in the clean grain, the first reaction might be to close the sieves a bit or increase fan speed. The problem

might actually have been caused by the header feeding the grain in slugs rather than feeding it smoothly. This could cause the cylinder to break up the plant material more, which would provide extra loading on the cleaning shoe, making it harder to clean the grain. Seek the root cause of the problem rather than treating a symptom.

Study Your Crop When starting from the front, you first should become a student of your crop. Identify different factors that will affect how easy it should be to thresh. What is the moisture content, and how do you expect it to change across the field and throughout the day? What is the condition of the stalks, i.e., do you expect more trash going through the combine? Will you encounter any hybrid changes in the field? Anticipating these potential changes will help you be ready to make subtle changes as necessary.

Don’t Lose Grain The header is the first thing to actually engage the crop. Make sure that you are not losing grain before it ever gets into the combine.

Adjust reel speed, gathering chain speed,

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stripper plate clearance, etc., to ensure that the crop is gently pulled into the header without shattering the grain on the ground. Then check cross auger or draper adjustments to ensure as smooth of a crop flow as possible.

Any bunching or slug flow will hamper the performance of the rest of the combine.

The feeder house delivers the crop from the header to the threshing unit. It should generally be operated faster than the header to spread out and further smooth the grain flow. If the clearance is adjustable, make sure it is appropriate for the amount of crop flow and that it does not cause any bunching or tangling.

Controlling the Flow of Material Most operators are fairly comfortable making clearance and speed adjustments to the cylinder on the combine. The clearance, in general, controls the material flow through the combine; cylinder speed affects the threshing aggressiveness. If there is an excess of grain damage or broken up straw and cobs, you might need to open up the clearance and/or slow down the cylinder. If there are unthreshed grains going out the back, you may need to speed it up and/or close down the clearance.

Good operation of the feeding and threshing will actually help the cleaning shoe operate

much more effectively. If a high percentage of the grain is separated through the concave and there is not an excess amount of broken up trash hitting the shoe, it will be much easier to clean the grain. The sieve openings can be adjusted to the grain size, and the fan speed can be adjusted to remove as much of the light trash as possible without losing grain. When all of these systems are working well, there should be minimal tailings being sent back through the cylinder.

Run at or Near Capacity Remember that the combine is designed to work best when it is running near capacity, so adjust forward speed as much as possible to keep the combine full.

In short, always remember to start from the front of the combine when you need to make adjustments. Think about how a change could affect each of the downstream processes. Make one adjustment at a time and evaluate its effect. Careful attention to detail can pay big dividends at the elevator!

Tim Stombaugh, Ph.D., PE, is an Extension Professor in Machine Systems Engineering.

DON’T FORGET TO SAVE THE DATE

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Weighing Your Options: Cattle Scales

By Josh Jackson, Ph.D. Assistant Extension Professor Livestock Systems From a management and production standpoint, obtaining cattle weights is essential on

Photo courtesy of Josh Jackson. beef operations as these animals are purchased, sold, and treated on a weight basis (by the pound). The visual evaluation of weight can be performed effectively by some and less so by others. A scale system removes the guess work of “eyeballing” cattle. There are many advantageous reasons to weigh livestock. In addition to establishing an economic value to the animals, knowing the weight could allow for cost savings, as more efficient drug delivery can be implemented. Performance characteristics such as weaning weight and yearling weight could be quantified—which is especially desirable for purebred operations since this information can be used to improve the accuracy of their breed’s EPDs (Expected Progeny Difference records). Management decisions for growth and replacement heifer development can be more effectively benchmarked to industry standards.

Therefore, the application of these drugs typically results in producers falling into one of these categories: proper dosage, overapplying, or underapplying, with the latter two categories being the most likely.

From drug delivery standpoint, the cost of overapplying wormer is not negligible, as shown in Table 1, above. With most operations in Kentucky having 30-50 head and deworming their cattle at least two times per year, overapplying dewormer by 100 lbs per animal could be costing these producers approximately $50 dollars annually. Underapplying dewormer may not allow for complete and effective control of parasites; yet, a cost is still incurred. Furthermore, underapplying could lead to developed resistance by the parasites and ineffectiveness of the dewormer. Subclinical costs of these parasites are reduced milk production, decreased average daily gain, and impaired conception rates.

As demonstrated by the FDA U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s veterinary feed directive, the use of antibiotics within the livestock industry is facing ever stronger scrutiny, and the judicious use of antibiotics is being encouraged.

Therefore, knowing the weights can help ensure that cattle are treated according to their weight. As shown in the Table 2, there is a cost associated with oversupplying the antibiotic. The cost of undersupplying antibiotics

Drug Delivery Most antibiotics and dewormers specify the dosage as a function of animal weight.

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would range from no response to treatment to the ultimate loss of the animal (death).

Management Scales can improve management practices in various ways. Performance records such as weaning weight and yearling weight can be tracked and underperformers marketed.

A scale system along with other information can be used to evaluate average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency (FE), and performance on pasture. Depending upon the ADG and FE of the cattle, different strategies for nutritional supplementation could be implemented to achieve or maintain the desired weight gain.

With regard to replacement heifers, the typical minimum weight benchmark given is that they need to be at least 65-70% of their expected mature body weight prior to breeding. For

most herds this will be between 750 to 850 lbs.

Scales allow for the determination of the average cow weight within the beef herd and promote improved methodology for determining when heifers are of adequate size to breed.

Scale Selection

The size of the scale system depends on the number of animals being managed. If multiple animals are being managed similarly and overall group performance information is desired, then a scale that can weight a group of animals would be desirable. For most cow-calf producers in the state, a scale system that weighs one animal at a time may be more practical and allow for more precise record keeping and management of these individual livestock.

The location of the scale is dependent upon the current layout of the facility, and if the scale system is going to be permanently fixed in a location or if it needs to be portable. A platform alley scale system would be more easily transported between farms. The capacity of the load cells or bar would also determine its location within the working facility (Table 4).

Building Your Own Scale System For more on building a scale system, watch my YouTube video, “Setting up a Cattle Scale System from a Kit,�at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuVqNBSjiZg&t=11s

There are three main criteria to consider when obtaining a scale system: type, size, and location.

There are two main types of scales: electronic/digital and mechanical beam scales. Either type of scale system should be functional.

However, the digital scale system may be more adapted to integrating with electronic ID systems and the use of Bluetooth technologies.

Josh Jackson, Ph.D., is an Assitant Extension Professor in Livestock Systems Engineering.

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Dry Conditions in Kentucky

By Matt Dixon Meteorologist UK Ag Weather Center Because rainfall totals have been significantly higher than normal in the past few years, it’s easy to forget that Kentucky can suffer from drought. Our last significant drought developed during the fall months of 2016.

At peak strength, toward the end of November, nearly a quarter of the state was under an Extreme drought, the second worst category on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Kentucky hasn’t gotten nearly that dry in 2019, but that’s not to say it can’t happen.

Rain Scarce in July and August

sub-average yields of late-planted grain crops.

“We’re Not Out of the Woods” With the U.S. Drought Monitor update on August 20 (Figure 1), portions of North Central Kentucky fell into the Moderate Drought category. This was the first time in almost a year that any part of the state had been designated in a drought; the last time was September 4, 2018, in a small section of Western Kentucky. In addition, nearly half of the state fell into the Abnormally Dry category.

The good news is that Kentucky saw beneficial rainfall over the latter half of August, removing the label of Moderate Drought from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Unfortunately, we’re not out of the woods. September and October are the two driest months of the year. Through the first week September, most of Kentucky has not seen any rainfall, with the state average coming in at 0.02 through August 7. Looking ahead, the forecast isn’t promising through the first half of September. The next week (9/9 – 9/15) looks mostly dry with only minimal chances for rain in

During the second half of July and into August, rainfall became scarce over portions of the Bluegrass State, especially North Central Kentucky.

The heat didn’t help, with highs consistently getting into the upper 80s to Figure 1 U.S. Drought Monitor update from August 20 middle 90s. Even with the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry passing through the area, North Central Kentucky still missed most of the rainfall. After three straight weeks of below normal precipitation, data at the Ag Weather Center showed the state had only averaged 0.92 inches through August 18, about 1.5 inches below normal. According to county agents, impacts were numerous across North Central Kentucky, including diminished pasture conditions, lower pond levels, and expected

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the forecast, and making matters worse, summer heat returns to the area, with many jumping back into low to middle 90s. A bright spot may be long range outlooks (http://weather.uky.edu/ newpage/Subpages/Long_Range.php), which are trending a little wetter farther out in September, but nothing with too much confidence.

Resources to Monitor Drought Conditions Could drought conditions return? Most definitely, yes. Will they? It’s hard to definitively say, but we’ll continue to monitor. To keep up with the changing conditions, there are a couple resources I wanted to point out. The first is a new drought page developed by the Ag Weather Center, a one-stop source with all the information you need for monitoring drought in Kentucky, located at http://weather.uky.edu/ newpage/Subpages/Drought.php. The page has information on current drought conditions, outlooks, soil moisture deviations, and station data across the state. As always, you can continue to monitor your own county forecast at http://weather.uky.edu/ukawc2.php.

A second resource for Extension agents is a monthly webinar hosted by the Kentucky Climate Center (http://kyclimate.org/), in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System and coordination with the Midwest Drought Early Warning System. During the webinar, “Kentucky Monthly Climate Perspective on Drought and Hydrologic Conditions,” Kentucky’s current climate conditions, weather and climate related impacts, and a look at long-range outlooks are discussed. To sign up for the webinar and get added to the email list, send an email to kymesonet@wku. edu. Each webinar is held on the first Thursday of the month; the next one is on October 3 at 2:00 PM eastern time. Even if you can’t make the initial broadcast, you can watch recordings of the webinar when it’s convenient.

are relayed through county agents across the state. This impact information is of great help when updating the U.S. Drought Monitor on a weekly basis during times of dry conditions.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated each Thursday to show areas across the United States experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions. Five different intensity levels, ranging from Abnormally Dry Conditions to Exceptional Drought are displayed. Each category is related to certain short and/or longterm impacts and other drought indicators.

These impacts range, in the case of Abnormally Dry Conditions, to slowed pasture growth to widespread crop/pasture losses within an Exceptional Drought classification. More impact information related to the various categories can be found in Figure 2 (previous page).

Impact information is communicated by several contributors to the Kentucky Drought Mitigation Team, which is made up several agencies and professional organizations across the state. The UK Ag Weather Center is one of the source agencies for collecting agricultural impact information. In the end, Figure 2 The five levels of drought. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/AboutUSDM/WhatIsTheUSDM.aspx

Agricultural Impacts of Drought During the webinar, my main focus is presenting the agricultural impacts. Many of these impacts

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any impact information is very helpful in delineating areas of abnormally dry conditions or drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Based on what I’m seeing, I’ll usually call or email county agents directly to ask about dry spots across the state; if you have information and haven’t heard from me, please feel free to contact me at matt.dixon@uky.edu. The more information, the better! A Kentucky drought impact reporter is being developed by scientists with the Kentucky Division of Water to make this process easier and more convenient. Be on the lookout for updates as this becomes available.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/fsa/Home.aspx.

The good news is that droughts don’t usually last long in Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for them. While infrequent, we have hit the Exceptional Drought category twice in Kentucky since 2000, in 2007-08 and in 2012.

The publication “Drought Risk Management for Beef Cattle Farms” (http://www2.ca.uky. edu/agcomm/pubs/AEN/AEN130/AEN130. pdf) lays out a systems-management approach to prepare for drought and help minimize risk.

Eight principles of drought preparedness are discussed, ranging from rotational grazing to the selection of drought resistant stock.

Activating Assistance Programs

Better than Mud and Rain?

Why are updates to the Drought Monitor so important? If conditions get bad enough, the U.S. Drought Monitor will be used by the USDA to activate disaster declarations and associated assistance programs. One of those assistance programs includes the FSA Livestock Forage Program (LFP), https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/ USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2019/ livestock_forage_disaster_program-fact_ sheet_july-2019.pdf. An example from the LFP fact sheet linked above: “D2 (severe drought) intensity in any area of the county for at least eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period is eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to one monthly payment.”

To help determine eligibility for this program, the U.S. Drought Monitor has developed a tool,

Sometimes I have to be reminded that drought isn’t always bad news. I was recently on a call discussing the agricultural impacts from the dry weather and one of the farmers reminded me that during the past two years, both the fall and winter seasons were extremely wet. Looking back at the data, September 2018 through March 2019 was the wettest September through March period going back to 1895! Cattle were under a tremendous amount of stress from the unrelenting rainfall and associated muddy conditions. As the producer mentioned to me, maybe we’re just not getting a headstart this year!

How Much Grain Do You Have Stored?

compress when pressure is applied to them during filling. The material at the bottom of a storage bin will be compressed by the weight of the material above it, and this packing effect increases the capacity. Test weight, moisture content, bin dimensions, broken grain and foreign material, and other variables will change the packing value of stored grain.

By Mike Montross, Ph.D., P.E. BAE Department Chair and Professor Food and Bioprocess Engineering Grain handlers, processors, and farmers are frequently required to determine the inventory of corn, soybeans, wheat, and other products in various sized storage structures. This task is complex because granular products

Matt Dixon is a meteorologist in the Ag Weather Center.

Estimating the Bushels in a Bin The spreadsheet and instruction manual (example farm in PowerPoint) will allow for a

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ments are based on procedures from USDA FSA/RMA to estimate the number of bushels stored in a bin. This procedure is not an exact match to the USDA method, although it should be within 1-2%. A producer should also keep in mind that there are potentially significant errors in determining grain inventory; marketing grain based on these measurements should be used with care.

Downloads to Compare Inventory You are free to download the following PowerPoint file for the instructions and then enter data for an example farm in the Excel file. This will allow you to compare the number of bushels of grain stored compared to scale weights (if available). The downloads are available on the BAE website at https://www.uky.edu/bae/grain-inventory.

Aaron Turner, a former doctoral candidate, whose work I supervised and now an associate professor at Clemson Univeristy, and Sam McNeill provided assistance in creating these grain bin measurement tools. farmer to enter weights (obtained from scales or yield monitors) and compare the results to in bin measurements. The in bin measure-

Mike Montross, Ph.D., PE, is the BAE Department Chair and Professor in Food and Bioprocess Engineering.

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Drying Corn in the Field or with Heated Air – What Are the Trade-offs?

Midwest, which is five percent. With this year’s predicted new record average yield for Kentucky (181 bu/ac) and current average cash price ($3.60), average harvest losses amount to $33 per acre. If harvest losses were reduced to two percent or increased to eight percent by stalk deterioration or heavy storms, the costs would be $13 and $52 per acre, respectively.

By Sam McNeill, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Extension Professor Food and Bioprocess Engineering

Compare these to the costs of drying, which depends on the incoming corn moisture, energy efficiency of the dryer, and cost for fuel (LP or natural gas). An average drying efficiency for new and existing grain dryers is around 1750 Btu/lb of water. If LP costs $1.00 per gallon, the cost to dry corn to 15 percent moisture from harvest levels of 30, 25 and 20 percent moisture would be $40, $31, and $18 per acre, respectively. This range of values is anticipated this

Should you dry corn in the field or with heated air? What are the trade-offs? The answer depends on grain and energy prices, the number of days to complete harvest, weather and crop conditions as corn remains in the field, and the amount of machine losses that will occur during harvest. If dried in the field, stalks can weaken and/or become lodged, which can lead to increased pre-harvest losses (ear drop); a slower ground speed for the combine (to reduce header losses); and a longer harvest period (which can compound both losses). While harvest has begun in the western part of the state, it won’t be in full swing for the rest of the state until mid-September this year.

Measuring Harvest Losses To answer the question for an individual farm, you need to know how to measure total harvest losses and strive to keep them below the average level reported for the

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season, but producers can use their own values to quickly estimate a meaningful comparison for their operation. A spreadsheet has been posted on the UK Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department website, www.uky. edu/bae/ext/grain-and-energy-calculators, to facilitate this comparison. The table below illustrates the costs per acre for a typical range of corn yields and anticipated harvest losses for the corn and fuel prices shown. The returns to drying are calculated both for fuel costs alone (assuming the dryer has been paid for) and for ownership costs (which includes drying energy, depreciation, repairs, labor, and hauling costs).

Excellent Weather Conditions On the positive side, weather conditions should be excellent for field drying during the next couple of weeks, with sunny daytime temperatures in the upper 80s and nighttime temperatures in the mid-60s. Another positive is that most fields are dry, so the root system will act as an anchor to hold the plant in place during harvest and allow the stalk to feed into the combine with minimal shatter at the header.

The BAE Extension Newsletter is published quarterly by the University of Kentucky Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department. Š2019 Editorial Committee Director: Michael Montross, Ph.D., P.E. Editor, Designer: Karin Pekarchik Contributors: Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., PE, M.P.P., Matt Dixon, Morgan Hayes, Ph.D., PE, Joshua Jackson, Ph.D., Doug Overhults, Ph.D., PE, Mark Purschwitz, Ph.D., Sam McNeill, Ph.D., PE, Tim Stombaugh, Ph.D., PE. Contact the editor: karin.pekarchik@uky.edu

In a typical year, the decision of when to harvest corn largely depends on the cost tradeoff between excess harvest losses and energy costs for drying. Excess losses are those incurred by leaving the crop to dry in the field.

With timely harvest, field losses can average less than two percent of the yield, but if the crop remains in the field to dry to 15 percent moisture, yield losses in Kentucky have recently been shown to increase to 19 percent!

Examples shown in the tables illustrate the impact of harvest losses on potential profit for the corn enterprise with anticipated grain and fuel prices. Specific cost comparisons between field drying and heated air drying can be made with the spreadsheet tool available at the UK Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department website, www.uky. edu/bae/ext/grain-and-energy-calculators.

Sam McNeill, Ph.D., PE, is an Extension Professor in Food and Bioprocess Engineering.

origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

The University of Kentucky is an Equal Opportunity Organization.

Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.

Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic

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